Day 20- Kids Summer Fun {Ideas & Activities}
How to Make a Child’s Fairy Garden by Homespun Sprout
To see ALL 31 kids ideas click here!
Playing outside is one of the best parts of summer. This year, give your kids a new place to play; make a child’s fairy garden and watch their imaginations come to life! This kid-made fairy garden is simple to make with items you can probably find around the house, and it provides a charming place for imaginative play to take place.
My children have been fascinated by fairies since the first time they heard the story of Peter Pan. Every summer when we go camping, we make fairy houses out of twigs and leaves in hopes that a fairy will move in while we are there. It always amazes me to watch them imagine and create. So I decided to give this imaginative fairy play a permanent place in our garden. With a few simple supplies, you too can create a child’s fairy garden with your kids.
We started out by making a house for our fairies. I found an empty maple syrup container in the recycling bin, and it looked like the perfect shape to be transformed into a tiny house. I used an exact-o knife and cut a door and a couple of windows.
Then Addison got to work with the paint. We used plain old acrylic craft paint and foam brushes for this part.
Once the paint dried, Addison decorated the house with as many gems and sparkles as she could fit. We used E-600 glue since it is weather-proof, and it sticks well to plastic.
Once the house was decorated to her satisfaction, we moved on to making a wishing well. I found a bag of little pebbles on sale at Hobby Lobby that looked to be the perfect thing for constructing a well. To make a wishing well, cut a circle of cardboard in the desired size. Then place a bead of hot glue around the perimeter. Carefully stick the stones to the glue so the edges are touching. Note: Use your best judgment with hot glue. Small children may want to let mom do this part.
Continue layering glue and rocks until you have reached the desired height for your wishing well. Ours is about 3 inches tall.
Once the glue was cool, we added some kabob sticks to look like the posts from which a fairy might pull up a bucket. See the photos at the end for the finished product!
We also made some cute little snails for the fairy garden. These are made from Sculpey clay, marbles and craft wire. For the tutorial, click HERE. We also made some toadstools out of the Sculpey clay. It was Addison’s first time playing with Sculpey, and she had a blast with it!
Then it was time to put the whole thing together! You’ll need a large container in which to make your fairy garden. You can use any container you like, just make sure it has adequate drainage holes. Fill the container with potting soil. Then add whatever little plants you like. We used drought-tolerant succulents, since we live in the desert. This way we can go a few days without watering.
Once the plants were planted and the structures were in place, she added her little critters, and gave it a good soak. Addison has so much fun moving the snails and toadstools around. And she keeps adding other “treasures” for the fairies to enjoy.
Do you have an empty planter laying around? Why not make a child’s fairy garden to entice the kids in your life to get outside and play?
Lindsay is a garden-growing, chicken-keeping, Bible-reading, real food-lover who needs an extra closet for all her craft supplies. She lives in Las Vegas with her hubs, 3 kids, 4 chickens, 1 dog, and a partridge in a pear tree. You can read about her adventures cultivating a suburban desert homestead over at Homespun Sprout.
You can also follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and on Instagram @homespunsprout
Seana Turner says
Such a cute summer craft idea! I think the jug really looks like a little house:)
Kimber says
It is so perfect! Exactly the kind of house I would want to live in if I were a fairy!